Following the announcement of the results of the 2024 General Elections in Odisha on Tuesday, several complaints have surfaced from different places across the State that some private hospitals are allegedly not accepting the Biju Swastya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) cards (health insurance cards) for treatment of patients.
Several patients and their relatives alleged that some private hospitals are returning patients without providing treatment saying that BSKY has been closed. They further alleged that after the fall of the BJD government in the State, the hospital authorities are apprehensive about receiving reimbursements for treatment. They are allegedly telling patients to get treatment by paying on their own.
BSKY beneficiaries complain
"The private hospitals are refusing to treat patients having BSKY cards. They are telling the patients to pay for their treatment. There is no use of having BSKY cards," rued a BSKY beneficiary.
"The private hospitals are telling us that the government has changed and the scheme has been stopped. We are not getting any benefit from the card anymore," said another beneficiary.
Responding to the development, the owner of a private nursing home said, "We are yet to get the money for the treatment of patients under BSKY for the last three months. After the change in government, it has been learnt that some hospitals in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar are not accepting BSKY cards anymore."
BJP's response
Meanwhile, in response to the confusion, Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal termed the incidents as unfortunate. He urged not to create any confusion over BSKY.
"On the pretext of government change, no confusion should be created over BSKY. Providing healthcare services is the primary responsibility of the government. Change in government is a continuous process and patients should not be deprived of healthcare benefits on account of this. The administration should keep a close eye on such false rumours," said Samal.
Earlier during BJP's poll campaigning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a dig at the BJD-led government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat Yojana which is a flagship scheme of the Government of India.